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Sticky Toffee Apple Cake

Weekends and it’s time to let go a little. My weekdays are lost in a whirlwind of rushing between to dos, chores and tasks. Although I take the time to visit my “islands” throughout the day, I realize it’s hard to really relax the mind entirely. I am constantly checking and re-checking making sure I am on top of my list. I could not imagine it any other way, really. It’s me, it’s what makes me tick. The surplus energy I have drives me through the day.

While Tom’s latest project takes him away to Stockholm during the week, it is the complete responsibility of an 8-year old that keeps me on my toes and sometimes more tense than I actually am. Somehow being able to share the responsibility eases the burden and not always having to be the one who sets the rules and have endless discussions about the whys and hows of those rules just makes things more relaxed.

Weekends allow me the mental break.

I get to sleep in and come down to a perfectly laid breakfast table and as the three of us catch up with each other, I can feel my shoulders begin to relax. For the next few days I can take a break from playing the responsible one, become the carefree one again. I do not have to be specific about enforcing the rules and allow daddy to take over the exhausting discussions.

As Soeren matures it is exciting and often satisfying, albeit a little exhausting, to accompany him through his phases. He’s in one now. Physically I notice the metamorphosis from a child to a young boy. He’s becoming more muscular, taller and the features on his face more structured. Mentally he is transforming from a little boy into a not so little boy. There is more sensibility even though he lacks concentration at times, there is more patience and a new ambition in his actions and there is that outstanding dry sense of humor that I have not come across in his peers. And the typical Virgo – he can discuss and debate incessantly with an innocent charm.

One of his passions his playing the electric guitar and while we have gone through many phases with it, he has never lost the interest or the will to keep at it. He seems to know exactly where he wants to go with music, expressing very clearly that he would like to be able to write lyrics and compose his own songs one day. This crystal clear train of thought often gives me the goose bumps. Earlier this year he had his first solo spot at a school event. Last weekend, however probably gave him a real taste of a rock star life.

His guitar teacher, who herself sings and plays in a rock band and whose husband does sound checks for big rock concerts all over Europe, organized a fantastic event last Sunday at the local Irish pub. Sixteen acts playing songs from famous groups like Green Day, ACDC, The Cranberries, Joan Jett and of course there was a-ha too. No prizes for guessing who played that. It was my special a-ha moment and for one afternoon I was roadie, groupie and screaming fan all in one.

For those who do not know him would be amazed at the coolness and tranquility he emits. One would think he is on stage every weekend. The reality however is that there are butterflies, the size of dinosaurs, doing somersaults in his stomach. And as he removes the guitar, his eyes search the crowd and when he sees me he smiles, intoxicated by the cheers and applause. He whispers:

“I have the sweatiest feet and hands ever, mum!”

From a big rock star to my big boy again! And me? From groupie back to mum!

And we enjoy the rest of the weekend together before the week has us in its grip again. Gathering around the television with a special treat of a rustic cake made with simple ingredients, we watch the performance again.

The cake is the perfect “easy baking” kind of cake for the weekend. Apples, vanilla, almonds, and toffee flavor the cake making it irresistible. The toffee syrup has a splash of Bailey’s Irish cream giving it a unique note.

Mix together flour, ground nuts, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk butter and 100g sugar together until thick and creamy – approx. 10 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well to make sure they are incorporated well into the batter. Blend the flour mixture and the milk and whisk until smooth.

Spread the cake batter into the batter and smooth the top. Arrange the apple slices on the cake and gently press into the batter. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar and the sliced almonds.

Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes Take out of the oven and allow to cool slightly.

In the meantime make the toffee syrup by melting sugar in a saucepan until light brown in color. Add the heavy cream and the Bailey’s cream. Cook on gentle heat until reduced, thick and syrupy.

Remove cake from the form and drizzle 1/3 of the toffee syrup over the cake. Cut into pieces and serve with whipped cream and the remaining toffee syrup.

Notes: The cake tastes incredible still slightly warm with the drizzled syrup.

Verdict

The cake is somewhere between grandma’s baking and gourmet food, the flavors reminiscent of a rustic apple cake but with a characteristic of a luxury dessert. I call it a lazy weekend baking cake, because it really is so easy to put together. You can make the same cake using peaches, apricots and pears too, each time creating a new flavor palette.

A slice of this sticky toffee apple cake is going all the way to Cape Town to the lovely Nina, who is my lovely hostess for the Monthly Mingle this month. She chose Apple Affection as her theme. Hope to see many of you at the party at the end of the month.

Here’s to great weekends everyone, especially to my American readers celebrating Independence day. Enjoy the long weekend filled with fireworks and parades. To the rest of you may it be filled with sunny warm summer days, lots of laughter and loving family and friends!

Your son is adorable and you sound so incredibly proud of him (as you should be). I think this sticky toffee cake sounds like the perfect thing to make for July 4th. Looks so delicious and it doesn't hurt that it's so simple to make.

The cake is gorgeous Meeta! Thanks for sharing Soeren's pictures. He is adorable. The way you described him and his metamorphosis into a young boy is exactly what I see in my older son Rivan who turned a very wise 7 earlier this year. It is bittersweet to revel in their blossoming personalities at the same time feeling the loss of the baboes they were :-)

The cake sounds perfectly divine; I remember the first time I made that strange sounding dessert called Sticky Toffee Pudding and thought...'where have you been all my life?'

Your boy is absolutely adorable Meeta; how proud you must be.

I've read your sharing of the need for 'islands' and realize now, silly of me, why those were impossible to find when I was raising my children. Because I was the only one raising them! The never-ending, never a break periods. Surprising how after a veritable lifetime of not finding that time for yourself that it is a real struggle to give yourself those moments and I'm absolutely a work in progress. Now I'm off to look at my garden with a cup of coffee. Thanks for the reminder.

I love this description - "a rustic apple cake but with a characteristic of a luxury dessert" that's exactly what I look for in a dessert. Congrats to your budding rockstar for his stellar performance!

I can see Soeren one day being a famous rockstar Meeta. Not entirely sure if that is what you would want as a mum but still... I love his concentration in the photos you took and well, he must have played A-ha for you.. :)That apple cake looks perfect!

Thank you all so much for all your comments and of course your well wishes for Soeren. True I am proud of him but I try not be too over protective and try to give him wings to fly. It's a balancing act! Not sure if the big rock star life is something that I would want for him but it's early to tell. The road ahead is long ....

Glad you all are liking this cake it's a wonderful and flavorful easy bake and I hope you all come back and tell me if you liked it.

Meeta, Deeba this is the sweetest mommy son bond I got one here and he is all grown up. It gets better and better. Cherish these moments with your rockstar!! Thanks for letting us have a glimpse into your life and the sticky toffee apple cake is mouthwatering. Lastly got to get some tips from you now that I got my new camera.

I love the photos of your son he is such a handsome little boy and you must be so proud of him! I have a son too and he is my perfect man! Anyway, this cake looks delicious and I would be in such a great mood waking up to a slice of this with some great coffee!

I really enjoyed the way you told this story and the climatic/anticlimax when your boy became your little boy again in the pub. How proud you must be! And a gorgeous cake- hope Tom knows how lucky he is (bet he does!)

By the time I saw the two adorable pics of Soeren I realized that I was smiling! What a wonderful post full of quiet, serene joy. I watch my little boys grow into men and am still astonished! But it is really satisfying! And Soeren is certainly on his way to becoming an amazing person! Love this cake - it is just the kind JP always craves!

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...